Along with that growth comes a big power bill -- about $300k a year, Bader told me. That's only going to get bigger as EasyStreet expands its data center next year.
"The data center is, in fact, becoming the dominant cost of IT," he said.
EasyStreet isn't the only one with these troubles, of course. Google, which has installed a power-gobbling data center in The Dalles, announced last week that it will invest heavily in renewable energy. Intel and AMD are racing to create more efficient microprocessors, to cut power consumption.
At EasyStreet, Bader says, exploration of green power began with employees who the company to cut power consumption and waste. EasyStreet bought TriMet passes for its workers, did away with bottled water and signed up for PGE's renewable power program, but only for half the company's total load -- going whole hog could have boosted EasyStreet's power bill by 20 percent, Bader told me.
"The buck stops with me," he said. "It's got to make financial sense."
That's what EasyStreet hopes to do with its new program. Last week, Bader and others from EasyStreet met with his old employer, Intel, to talk about ways of improving data center design.
As Bader walked me through EasyStreet's existing data center, attached to its Beaverton headquarters, the magnitude of the issue was clear. Servers stacked tightly together throw off immense heat.
EasyStreet won't make decisions about its new data center 'til late next month, Bader said, but ideas being explored include a design that doesn't rely on air conditioning -- partly by using Oregon's (usually) cool ambient air, and partly by managing air circulation inside the data center.
Building a more energy-efficient data center will very likely cost EasyStreet more than if it used a standard design. Bader said he hopes an "anchor tenant," interested in lower power bills and the marketing promise of green power, will commit to use the facility and make it cost-effective.
By expanding its data center, EasyStreet is already gambling on its future success. Bader said he has to manage that risk to ensure the added cost of going green doesn't get out of hand.
"What I have to do is make sure this is not a bet-the-business proposition," he said.